Help Vulnerable Women Become Leaders of Change

 Global Grassroots is thrilled to announce the launch of three new, sustainable social ventures in Rwanda, designed by and for grassroots women...

Kind People: Providing Training to Promote Legal Marriage and Protect Women's Property Rights
With the generous sponsorship of Maura Shaughnessy and family, Global Grassroots officially launched social venture “Kind People” in the Ruhango District of southern Rwanda. Kind People will train 400 men and women about the laws protecting the family and the mutual benefits of legal marriage and build local advocacy clubs in 9 communities.  By promoting women's rights to property through legal marriage, they will advance equality and reduce oppression in relationships. Kind People will also invest in a motorcycle taxi, which will help women report incidents of violence, provide transportation for follow-up with victims, and earn revenue as a public taxi.  They hope to become the 'go-to' network for victims of domestic violence, serving a geographical area with an estimated population of 12,000 couples.  Learn more: http://www.globalgrassroots.org/kind_people.html

Education for Young Girls: Preventing Harassment of and Drop-out Rates Among Girls During Menstruation by Building Safe Latrines at School 
With the generous sponsorship of The Segal Family Foundation and support from MyVillage2Urs, Education for Young Girls has launched. At Cyarwa high school, female students frequently drop out because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable using the restroom at school.  There is only one set of latrines that are shared by all students and teachers, and boys watch the girls while they used the restroom; not even teachers are spared from this harassment. Education for Young Girls will build separate latrines for females and males so that boys cannot harass female students or teachers.  They also plan to educate their community about reproductive health, reaching 2000 students, 1000 parents and 600 community members to end harassment and keep girls in school. Learn more: http://www.globalgrassroots.org/education_girls.html

People of Love: Providing Accessible, Clean Water to Eliminate the Abuse of Women
With the generous sponsorship of Project High Hopes, People of Love has begun their operations. This team works in the rural area of Kamonyi, where a severe scarcity of water causes and triggers gender violence, domestic conflict, and other social issues affecting women. People of Love will reduce violence related to lack of water by installing a clean water point, visiting couples in their homes and educating those who come to use the water point about domestic violence laws and consequences, gender equality. They will also train families on the use of kitchen gardens to fight malnutrition and the importance of men sharing domestic responsibilities. The team aims to reduce domestic violence in Kamonyi, keep more children in school, increase female participation in community affairs, and build stronger and more gender-equal families.  Learn more: http://www.globalgrassroots.org/people_love.html 

Global Grassroots is also working to expand our programming and deepen our impact, through new offerings and partnerships:

Global Grassroots Receives Support for Expansion into Northern Uganda
We are delighted to announce that, through a generous grant from the Imago Dei Fund and with ongoing support from the NoVo Foundation, Global Grassroots will be replicating our Academy for Conscious Change in Northern Uganda this year! We are thrilled to partner with the Imago Dei Fund and the NoVo Foundation in this critical step toward advancing our work for vulnerable women change agents in post-conflict environments.

eAcademy Pilot Begins with a Site Visit in Guatemala
Last week, Global Grassroots initiated the pilot of our new eAcademy - an innovative, interactive, elearning program offering our social entrepreneurship and conscious change training online. In partnership with a team of MBA students from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, we conducted a feasibility study with women’s groups in the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala to understand how best to target grassroots groups worldwide.  In mid-March, we will pilot the platform with approximately 15 groups in 4 continents, and anticipate our public launch this summer or fall, serving grassroots social ventures in 45 countries worldwide!

GG Founder & President Gretchen Wallace Teaching at Omega NYC
Global Grassroots Founder & President Gretchen Wallace will be facilitating a Women & Happiness workshop at the Omega Institute’s “Omega NYC” retreat, April 20^th-22^nd. In an interactive session, Gretchen will teach participants how to discover their unique, authentic power and use it to help others. Come away ready to make a difference! To sign up or learn more, go to http://www.eomega.org/omega/nyc/

Please consider a donation to help Global Grassroots continue to support the social ventures of grassroots change agents worldwide. 

Global Grassroots is proud to present our interactive annual magazine, Portraits of Transformation, available online at www.globalgrassroots.org/annualmagazine

Meet the individuals, families, and communities that drive our work.

Explore stories of personal growth and social change, told through photography, writing, and video.

Discover inspiration in their reflections, challenges, and triumphs.

...Please join us in celebrating our impact in 2011, and looking ahead to new growth and continued transformation in 2012.

Global Grassroots works to support women change agents among survivors of war and disaster. Under-served, undereducated, and overburdened, these women would otherwise lack the resources to promote systemic change. But they have profound wisdom about their communities and innovative ideas for social change. Their resilience, courage, and creativity are transforming the world, one community at a time. 

These are their stories…

"The [Global Grassroots] training has taught me to think big... Now, I can go somewhere and knock and ask for a grant or anything.  Apart from that, in my own community, I have become a conflict resolver.  If in the neighborhood there is a conflict, women come to me – they trust me.  I go with them to solve those conflicts.  It helps me to change the quality of life in my community.”         

- Jeanette Muteteri, treasurer of Have a Good Life

“Now I feel like I can move... I can join the other people...I have come to understand my own value.  I know that I can participate in the team.  I can help them; I can give my ideas.”

- Christine Nyirandeya, team advisor of People of Love